Marie rolled Alice’s chair back to the shampoo sink and wet her hair with the sprayer.
“How about something new today?” Marie asked. “Some color? Permanent?”
Alice enjoyed the head massage with her eyes closed and said, “You ask that every time. I just want it trimmed, don’t need anything fancy.”
Marie switched to the shampoo and continued the massage.
“What if it’s a treat? You know, for free?”
Alice huffed and tensed, a little indignant. “I’m employed, you know. I can pay.”
“I know you can,” Marie said, and patted Alice’s shoulder. “You say that every time, too. That’s not the point. It’s a treat. I like to treat my friends, especially when it’s a quiet day like today.”
She rinsed Alice’s hair, wrapped it in a towel and rolled her to the workstation.
“James says you two got a good start out there,” Marie said. “Too bad he had school today, he really likes the work.”
“He’s a good worker. Doesn’t have to gab or get instruction twice. I’ll give Diana the final layout tonight and bring in equipment tomorrow.”
The shop bell tinkled and Jean strode in looking flushed, big smile, eyes a-glitter. She stood beside Alice’s chair without a word, still smiling.
“Well?” Marie asked
“Well?” Alice asked.
Jean put a hand to her cheek, batted her eyes, and continued smiling.
Alice let out a groan and said, “You didn’t!”
Jean patted Alice’s wet hair and said, “Oh, but I did. And then he did. And then we …”
Alice put up her hand to stop Jean’s narration. “Please,” she said. “Don’t whip me with details. Aren’t you afraid of … you know … catching something? You just met him. You don’t know where he—”
Jean snapped open her handbag and pulled out a string of a half-dozen condoms.
“Ta-da!”
Alice made a wry face. “I don’t like those things.”
Marie combed Alice’s hair down to the straps of her overalls and judged her cut line.
“You know that we know that you don’t need them, right?” Marie asked. She held a mirror so Alice could see the back, pinched a section of hair about three fingers above the shoulders and asked, “How about here?”
“Fine.”
“Did you even look?”
Jean sat in the other shop chair and rolled it closer. “I like men,” she said. “And I like this one a lot!”
Alice groaned again. “You mean you like a lot of men. And you don’t know that much about me. I do all right.”
Marie shot a “watch this” glance at Jean and said, “Oh, yeah? When was the last time?”
Alice wriggled in her chair and Marie squeezed her shoulders to settle her down.
“I’m not going to blab to you two about my sex life. Really!”
Jean laughed and said, “You’d blab if you had something to blab!”
Marie focused on snipping Alice’s hair and changed the subject. “So, Jean, tell us what we don’t know about Daniel. You aren’t going to screw me out of another free facial, are you?”
“Okay. First, he’s gorgeous!”
Both Marie and Alice said, “We know that!”
“Okay, okay,” Jean said. “He makes the goo in a lab in his workshop. Not everything’s completely set up yet. He makes these weird sculptures out of special dirt. They sell in Europe and Seattle for a bundle. He invents things, like the desalinator. That’ll be a money-maker that I’d like to get in on.”
“Dirt sculptures?” Marie asked. “What in the world are dirt sculptures?”
Jean settled into her chair like she was holding court. “The dirt is special. Mixed with water and heated it looks like fired clay, but he says it’s a plastic. They’re crude and grotesque like some chainsaw gargoyles. He gets twenty-five thousand for one, after the gallery fee. That’s as much as I got for selling Vulgarette!”
“What about the sister?”
Jean shook her head. “Maybe Alice should tell you.”
Alice didn’t reply.
“Okay, she’s as gorgeous as he is. They’re twins; he says she’s the oldest. I haven’t seen her again since we met. I got the feeling that she disapproved of me, didn’t you, Alice?”
Alice said, “Definitely cold to Jean.”
“She actually gave me the creeps. The look I got when I went to the kitchen with Daniel? Severe. But she sure liked Alice.” Jean drew out Alice’s name for emphasis.
Alice blushed. “They’re all like that at first. They think I’ll work cheaper if we’re pals.”
Marie said, “Hold still, I’m almost done. You squirm worse than the kids.” She turned to Jean and asked, “Bedrooms?”
Alice put up a hand again. “Wait! Wait a minute! If you’re going to give a blow-by-blow account—”
Jean and Marie started laughing.
“Blow-by-blow!” Jean said and laughed even harder. “Listen to her!”
Alice blushed even more and rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. I don’t like hearing that stuff. I don’t kiss and tell.”
Jean said, “You’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.” She aimed a heavy wink at Alice. “Or princess.”
Marie finished Alice’s trim and held up the mirror for a final nod. “And you’ve found your prince?” she asked.
Jean turned serious. “Wow,” she said. “You know me, Ms. Never-Ask-A-Last-Name. But I think so. I really like this one. Those green eyes!”
“Like his sister’s,” Alice said. “Startling. I’ll bet he’s got women strung from here to Hamburg. Or wherever he’s from.”
“California,” Jean said.
“Figures,” Alice said, with a huff.
“He’s invited me out again for dinner,” Jean said. “Diana said she’d like to go over your plans tonight.” She nudged Alice and stage-whispered, “Maybe she’s … you know …”
“Oh, just stop!” Alice said.
Marie took off Alice’s cape and finished a brush-off. Alice counted out the money and a tip and said, “I’ll call her when I get home. You two. Really!”